Isolation cells for 12 jihadists cost £1m a year

Twelve of Britain's most dangerous Islamist terrorists will be placed in containment units in three prisons at a cost of about £1m a year.

Anjem Choudary — the country's most notorious hate preacher, who was convicted last year of supporting Isis — is expected to be among the prisoners placed in the specialist units to prevent them from radicalising other inmates.

Another high-profile ex­tremist to be separated from the general prison population is understood to be Michael Adebolajo, one of the two killers of the British soldier Lee Rigby in 2013. According to intelligence reports, Adebolajo has tried to exploit his notoriety in prison to recruit other Muslim convicts to the jihadist cause.